Run
by DaronwyK
Summary: AU: Following Daryl & Beth after their escape from the prison. What if their path took them North, away from Grady Memorial and the other survivors? [Currently on Hiatus]
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The Walking Dead does not belong to me, and I'm not making anything off this story. Just borrowing the characters for a little bit.

Author's Note: This is an AU that diverges from Cannon as soon as the group flees the prison. It will follow Beth and Daryl. Grady Memorial never happens. Memories will be in Italics.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

In the middle of all the shit that had happened, Daryl had done what he could…the only thing he could. He'd decided to save whoever he could get to. He'd seen the two men chasing Beth Greene into the woods, and he'd given chase. He'd heard her screams, knew that the Walkers would hear it too. Damn girl knew better…but then he supposed what else could she do? What he'd seen as he rounded corner made his blood run cold and hot all at the same time. He'd fired his crossbow, taking down the man on top of her and then used his blade to drop the man who'd been laughing, watching it. He gutted him.

Little Beth Green was laying on the ground with the dead man pressing against her back, pushing her into the dirt. Her shirt ripped open, pants down around her knees. He growled and shoved the now dead fucker off her. He felt sick seeing the blood on her thighs but they had no time…not now. He could hear the explosions behind them, the growls of the undead…screams of people being torn apart.

"Beth." He said and pulled her up to her feet. The Walkers were coming. He roughly hauled her jeans up, fastening them and shook her shoulders. Her eyes were glassy, unfocused. He shook her hard again. "Beth! We gotta go…we gotta go now." He met her eyes and saw the understanding spread through them.

"We gotta go." She managed to repeat. She took a shaky breath and nodded.

Daryl didn't know what else to do. He grabbed the dead men's knives and guns and reached out taking her hand. "Stay with me. Now run girl, run." He said and start off, dragging her at first and then she started running. Damn girl had more grit than he'd ever imagined. She kept up with him for what felt like miles. They'd run all out until they couldn't and then they'd walk…starting running again once they had their breath back. Gradually the sounds of the dead faded back…just noise in the distance but they pressed on, forcing their legs to keep moving, one foot in front of the other.

It was starting to get dark and he finally stopped to get his bearings. He'd scouted all over this damned country and knew they were about a half mile from an old hunting shack. It wasn't much but they needed somewhere to sleep and Beth needed tending to. Not that he had a fucking clue what to do for her, but knew there had to be something.

Beth said nothing, just bending over with her hands on her knees trying to get her breath. Her legs burned, every inch of her body hurt and she just wanted to fall down to the ground and not move for days. She listened to the night, not hearing anything but the harsh breathing of her companion and herself. Best of all, she didn't hear Walkers, at least not yet. Her Daddy was dead…gone. Maggie, Judith….all of them just gone. She'd run but they'd caught her….their hands grabbing at her. She was pulled from the memory by a hand on her shoulder.

"Beth…come on, we can rest soon." He said and gently took her hand, pulling her onwards…just in a jog now. He'd never known this girl to be so damned quiet for so long. He'd always known where she was in the prison with her constant talking, singing and humming. Girl was just too good for this damn world, something sweet and light and now…those bastards in the woods had hurt her, snuffed that light out and it made him want to go back and kill them over again.

"Daryl….you're hurtin' my hand." Beth finally spoke, the iron grip was making her fingers lose feeling.

"Shit, sorry girl." Daryl loosened his grip, unaware that his rage at those fuckers had caused him to nearly break her damned hand. He slowed his pace as they approached the beaten up old cabin that was half swallowed by the woods. "Ok…gotta check and make sure it's clear. I'm gonna need both hands so just hold onto the back of my vest, okay?"

Beth nodded. "Kay." She took a handful of the supple leather, moving behind him as quietly as she could. She pulled her knife out of her boot, just in case. Luckily the old cabin was empty and Daryl let out a breath. "We can rest here?" Beth asked Daryl quietly.

"Yeah…we can rest here. There's a hand pump out back, I'll get some water so you can clean up a bit." He said quietly.

Beth just nodded and wrapped her arms around herself. Now that they'd stopped running….she hurt, not just physically but deep inside…like she was deer that had been shot and gutted. She distantly heard the door open and close and once she was alone the full horror of the day crushed down on her. Beth felt the tears start falling and then her legs gave out, sending her to her knees as silent sobs wracked her frame.

Daryl heard it but gave her a moment, filling the bucket and then quickly washing the blood and grime off himself. He remembered Maggie and how she'd been after her run-in with the Governor, and how hard it had been to bring her back. If you'd asked him this morning who the stronger Greene girl was, he'd have said Maggie. What if he couldn't bring Beth back from this…from all of it? He shook his head and grabbed the bucket, knowing that he had to try and he sure as shit couldn't help her hiding out here.

He summoned his courage and took the bucket inside. They couldn't risk a fire tonight, he had no idea how many men the governor had still, who might be searching for them. He'd stashed a pack out here, and in a few other places and was happy to find it still there. He had a change of clothes, some jerky, and basic medical supplies. He had a few other caches out here…but the rest were all back the other side of the prison, and he couldn't go back. He found a fairly clean rag and knelt next to Beth. "Hey…let's get you cleaned up." He said, keeping his voice soft, like he was talking to a spooky animal.

Beth looked at him and nodded, letting him wipe the dirt off her face. She closed her eyes a moment…remembering him doing this once before.

" _Jesus H girl, you tryin' to scare the piss outta me?" Daryl said as he skidded down the embankment after her. "Didn' I tell ya to watch the edge?" He hauled her up out of the dirt, checking her over for injuries. "Your Dad's gonna skin me if I let you get hurt."_

" _I'm fine…" Beth had protested, embarrassed that she'd messed up so soon into her first ever tracking lesson. She knew her Dad had asked Rick and Daryl to help her learn some basic survival skills. She tried to bat his hands away when he started to clean the dirt off her face._

" _Hol still…you got a nasty cut." He said and had patched her up. Beth had expected him to take her back to the prison, tell her Dad and Rick that she was useless, but he hadn't. He'd cleaned her cut, put some strange salve on it to mask the blood smell and continued the lesson. He'd taken her out a half dozen times after that and never reminded her about her stupid mistake that day._

"Hey….you with me girl?" Daryl asked once her face was cleaned up, only a few minor scratches hiding under the dirt.

Beth nodded. "Daddy's dead." She said softly.

"I know…I'm sorry Beth." He said and he meant it. "Look…I got some clothes, a shirt that might fit ya. I can wait outside for you to…clean up." He offered.

Beth nodded, feeling tears welling up. "You saw it…" She remembered the feel of their hands on her, then the one on top of her…it hurt so much.

"Yeah…" He whispered. "Ain't gonna let no one lay hands on you again. That's a promise." Daryl didn't know what else he could do. He stroked her cheek. "I've got you now…" He meant every word, he'd kill anybody who even looked at her wrong if it meant keeping her safe.

Beth nodded softly, believing him. "It hurts." She whispered.

"I know….clean up Beth…and then you should try to sleep. We got a lot of ground to cover before we can be safe." Daryl stroked a hand over her hair. "I'll be just outside." He stood before he could say anything to make it worse. He wasn't the right man for this shit…he was just a redneck asshole, not some damned therapist.

Once he was gone Beth made herself get up. She took off the ruined shirt and threw it down near the old fireplace. She took off her boots and then carefully peeled her pants off. Her underwear were bloodied and she felt bile in her throat but didn't let herself throw up. She threw them over with the ruined shirt. She couldn't wear those again. She used the water and cloth to wash herself carefully, biting back little cries as she cleaned her tender parts. There was still some blood seeping so she used some of her ruined shirt to fashion a kind of pad to wear overnight. She pulled her jeans back on and then Daryl's spare shirt. She went to the door and opened it. "You can come in." She said softly.

Daryl nodded and came in, he took the bucket of dirty water and dumped it. He went back inside and barred the door over. "Leave your boots on." He said and pulled a blanket out of the cache pack. "Come'ere you need to sleep." He settled down on the floor and held out an arm to her, hoping she could trust him enough for this.

Beth was too tired to even consider rejecting his offer. She went over and got down on the floor with him, closing her eyes as she rested her head against his shoulder. She felt him wrapping the blanket around her and just found herself drifting off. "Sorry you're stuck with me." She whispered.

"Not stuck…right where I wanna be." He answered quietly and just let the girl sleep. It was fall all ready, winter was coming and he could feel how thin she was…they'd need somewhere to ride it out. He knew Hershel was dead, and there was just no way Rick was alive. The others had scattered and he knew there weren't no guarantees that they'd find each other again. No, this girl was his priority now. Hershel had always been decent to him, the least he could do was look after his daughter. He didn't want to be alone anymore…and she needed him.

His mind ran over possibilities, thinking on what they needed and where he might find it. He wanted to get then as far from this area as he could, and didn't want to get any closer to Atlanta neither. A strong part of him wanted to go North…back to the wilds. Less people might mean less Walkers and he knew at least there would be some hunting there. It also meant he was giving up on finding the others…but the chances of anyone making it outta that hell hole were slim anyway. His mind made up, he closed his eyes for a few minutes, sleeping lightly.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Beth was exhausted and slept soundly against his chest. She opened her eyes to see light creeping through the boards over the windows. Then she shifted and the pain shot up through her groin. She hissed and closed her eyes a moment.

Daryl felt her shift and then he heard the hiss of pain and his anger bubbled up again. Why hadn't he been faster? He rubbed her back. "You gonna be ok to travel today?" He asked.

"Do we have a choice?" Her voice was quiet, and flat. "I know we can't stay here. I can manage." She said with a hard resolve to her voice.

"Okay." Daryl said and got up, packing the blanket into the pack and handing her a piece of jerky. "Eat, you'll need your strength." He helped himself to one of the pieces too and got them ready to go. They had one water canteen, they'd have to share.

"Where are we going?" She asked him.

"Gonna head North, keep away from Atlanta, find somewhere safe we can ride out the winter." He said.

"What about the others?" Beth asked then.

Daryl took a deep breath. "We all fucked up, had no damn scatter plan…and shoulda. We don't know who else made it out, and by the time it's safe enough to go back any trail will be long past cold. If we find anyone it'll be just luck…but first we need to keep ourselves alive, to do that we need shelter, food…somewhere safe. I'll take care of you, no matter what." He met her eyes, willing her to believe him.

Beth swallowed past the dry lump in her throat. Maggie….she might never see her again, even if she was alive out there. She took a deep breath and then nodded. "Ok…we go North."

"You keep close to me, no matter what. If we get separated you head North until you find somewhere safe to hide and then you hole up and wait for me." Daryl said. "I will find you."

Beth nodded, focusing on what he said. "What if ah can't figure out North…or there's something in the way?" She knew that in the woods it was very easy to get disoriented and turned around.

"I'll teach you." He said, thinking better of her for asking. She was too calm though, other than her breakdown last night she seemed too calm, too together. Maggie had been a mess and she hadn't even been raped. "There's a little town about a half day from here….might be able to find you some clothes and some supplies." He got up and offered her a hand, glad when she took it.

"Let's head out then." Beth said quietly, making sure her knife was accessible in her boot. She looked surprised as Daryl offered her a handgun.

"Last resort only…but better you have it." He showed her the safety and tucked it into her pocket. "Keep close." He said as he carefully unbolted the door and led the way out of the shack. He'd keep them off the roads, away from housing as much as possible until they hit the little town. He filled their canteen with water and hid Beth's bloody clothing in a space under the shack, leaving no sign behind them. Or at least nothing concrete.

Daryl and Beth moved through the woods, both silent….not talking as they just kept moving. Daryl kept the pace moderate, knowing she was still hurting. It took slightly longer than half a day to pull up on the dusty abandoned town. The stores had been mostly cleaned out, but there were a few houses that hadn't been completely fleeced yet. Maybe they could find some clothing for Beth, she'd need warmer things before long…and he'd seen her bloodied underwear tucked into the remnants of her shirt. Women needed certain things, that was just the way it was and if he was taking care of her now, she'd have what she needed.

"We'll skirt the edge of the town….the houses I'm thinkin of are that way." Daryl spoke softly and at her nod they started moving quietly along the edge of the town. There were a few walkers shambling around but they were far enough off to not be a threat. A part of him wished that Beth had gone on a few runs, just to know she could handle it when they did run into trouble but the time for playing in the shallow end was done, she 'd been thrown off the deep end.

Beth just followed him, her knife tight in her grip. They ghosted through backyards and down little laneways and finally Daryl led them to a little house. She heard him telling her to keep behind him, and be ready to run. She was always ready to run…running didn't always save you. Sometimes running just drained you before the bad things caught you. They cleared the house, one room at a time. They were lucky today, no Walkers.

"Let's see what's what.' He said. Daryl started in the kitchen, not finding a lot but there were some jars of peaches and jams. He grabbed those and a few other things and then they headed back upstairs. In a closet he found a beat-up old canvas rucksack and he smiled. "Hey Beth..for you." He handed it to her, pleased when she gave him a little smile.

"Ah found some clothes." She said, putting a clean pair of jeans into the rucksack along with a few pairs of clean underwear, socks, a tee-shirt and a warmer sweater she'd found stuffed in the closet.

"That's good Beth….real good." He smiled and tossed a clean shirt and a warmer flannel into his. "Ok, we gotta keep going."

"Ah'm just…give me five minutes in the bathroom?" She said, worrying her lower lip with her teeth.

Daryl nodded, understanding why she looked so uncomfortable and feeling like a piece of shit. She'd been fucking raped and here he was dragging her across the countryside. 'Not like I have much choice….we can't stay put, we're too damn close to the prison still.' He thought to himself but maybe tomorrow night they could find somewhere they could pause for a few days…let her body recover a bit. He knew damn well that what had happened was gonna hit her, and hard. He wouldn't push her on it until they were somewhere safe.

In the bathroom Beth pulled down her jeans and untied the makeshift pad…a little worried at the blood soaked into it. What if she was bleeding to death…or he'd torn her up so bad inside no one would ever want her again. Tears stung her eyes and she looked around the bathroom and found a box of pads, at least it would soak up the blood. She put the rest into her pack, along with the bar of soap left on the counter. She pulled on a pair of underwear and then the clean jeans, stuffing her dirty stained ones out of sight. She angrily wiped the tears away and came back out. "Ok…I'm good."

"You sure?" He asked, his keen eyes not liking what they saw. She was paler than normal, some bruising under her eyes and she was walking gingerly. He could see the hint of a dark ugly bruise just peek from the edge of her collar.

"We gotta keep movin', so I have to be." She tightened her jaw and followed him back out of the house and away from the town. She was trying really hard to keep her shit together, everyone had a job to do. Daryl's was keeping her alive, and hers was keeping it together so that he could. She met his eyes trying to make him leave it be.

"Kay…but you gotta tell me if you're not, I'm not a damned mind reader." He grumbled and shouldered his bag. "Let's go." He started them back out of town, moving as quietly as he could, not wanting to draw attention if they could avoid it. He got them back into the woods without too much more trouble. Just a couple walkers that they dispatched quietly.

He found a small creek and started following it. Maybe they'd get lucky, find a little cabin they could rest in for a few days. Beth needed it, and frankly…so did he. He was heartsick at losing the prison…losing everyone. He'd given up hunting for the governor and it was his fault.

"It's starting to get dark." Beth spoke softly from behind Daryl.

"Yeah…but I see something up ahead…hopefully it's somewhere we can sleep." He said, moving a bit more cautiously now. The cabin was surrounded by an old weathered fence, there was an overgrown garden patch and wood piled against the side. It didn't look like there had been anyone here in a long while.

"You think it's safe?" Beth asked softly.

"One way to fin' out." Daryl unslung his crossbow and headed towards the door. There was a rusty padlock on the outside and Daryl grabbed the axe sitting on the porch and hit it with a sharp blow, breaking it off. He then froze…listening hard. There was no sound from inside. "All right….let's go in." He said. It was a basic cabin, one room with a woodstove, desk and chair and a bed. Everything was covered in a layer of dust but was otherwise pretty clean.

"We haven't come across many Walkers." Beth said, swinging her pack down. It had been eerie really, after battling through so many around the Prison.

"I've been noticing a pattern lately…they're heading south and kinda west…looking for food. Populations a lot less dense in the north and most animals migrate south in the cold." Daryl said. He'd mentioned it to Rick but the man hadn't given it much credence. "Might just be coincidence…but might not."

"That's why you wanted to head north." Beth said.

"Yeah, and I know it better…familiar ground. Merle'n me were talking about it after I found him but I made him go back to the prison, and he ended up dead." He ran a hand through his hair and swallowed hard. "Ended up one of those fucking things."

Beth went over and reached out, touching his arm. "You had to kill him…" She whispered, and seeing him nod she moved closer, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. It wasn't just that he needed one…she did too. "I'm so sorry…I know you loved him." She whispered.

Daryl stiffened at the initial contact and then relaxed a moment, sliding his arms around her. "He was an asshole…but he was my brother." He hugged her a bit tighter…sensing that she might need this as much as he did. No one touched him…not ever. He figured they were all just too damned scared of him to get that close, as if the crazy Redneck would snap and kill them all. Just little Beth Greene. He wondered if she was the bravest of them all and no one had ever noticed. "I'm sorry about your Dad, Hershel was a good man." He'd never judged Daryl….took him as he was and listened to his opinions when they spoke.

Beth started to cry softly into his chest, and once she started she couldn't stop. She felt Daryl shift them a bit so he could lock down the cabin door and then he gently scooped her up and carried her over to the bed, sitting down and just holding her while she sobbed into his chest. "They're all gone…"

Daryl felt tears biting at the back of his eyes. "I should have kept looking…should have done something more." He whispered.

Beth lifted her head and looked at him, blue eyes red from crying and she touched his cheek. "You did everything you could…you save me." She said softly.

Daryl couldn't take the sweetness, it cut through him like a knife. "No…they're gone…and it's my fault." He tried to move back but found the girl had latched on harder. She didn't say a word but he could feel the absolution there…he cried softly into her hair. He tried so hard to keep things together all the time, like nothing bothered him but this…Rick was his brother and he was the one out of the group that was certain was dead. No one could have survived that. Without Rick the group was dead…he knew that. He wished for Beth's sake that they'd run into Maggie and Glenn but he'd have to be enough for her now.

"We gotta go on…for all of them." Beth finally whispered. "You and me. That's our job now."

Daryl swallowed and nodded. "Yeah…you'n me." He ran a shaky hand through his hair. "I'm gonna get us some water, once it's a bit darker we'll get a fire going, nights are getting cold." He gently moved her off him and onto the bed, standing. He didn't do emotions and needed some space now.

Beth watched him go and laid back on the bed. Stopping wasn't good, it meant time to think, as well as heal. Time for Daryl to realize she was just a burden he didn't need…she'd only slow him down. If not for her…attack…he'd have covered miles more. She sat up and ran a hand through her hair. What good was she really? She didn't know how to fight, and was only passable in the woods and only because he'd taken her out a few times at the prison to help her learn. On her own she knew she was just Walker bait…prey. Daryl was a hunter, he'd be fine on his own. Unbidden her fingers traced the scar on her one wrist and then she sat up and shook her head. No, she wasn't going to lay down and die…not this time. If she did that…the Governor's men would win, they'd have killed her after all.

She made herself get up and check the cupboards and came up with a couple old cans of beans. She put them on the little table and dug up some spoons. She took a jar of peaches out of her pack and set it down as well and sat their water canteen down. They needed to eat and then they needed to sleep. Tomorrow she'd see if there was anything salvageable in the garden. She carefully knelt and started cleaning out the woodstove. She heard the door open and had her knife out of her boot and into her hand as she turned.

"Jus' me." Daryl said, some wood under one arm and a bucket of water in the other.

Beth took a breath and put it away. "Looks like it's still in good shape." She said and slowly got up, trying to hide the winces as she moved.

"Alright." He said, setting the wood down. "Come and sit, you're getting paler by the minute." He guided her down to sit and opened up the jar of peaches. "Eat." He told her, not liking how she was looking. "I'll see if I can't get us some game tomorrow." He sat down, having a little bit to eat too. "We'll stay a couple days if we can, let you rest up."

"I'm sorry I'm slowing us down." She whispered, looking down at the table.

"Ain't nothing Greene." Daryl said. "You need to heal, no shame in that. No shame in any of it." He reached over and touched her arm. "Y'hear me?"

Beth shook her head, feeling tears gathering behind her eyes. "But what they did…"

"Ain't nobody's fault but theirs." He got up and went over, crouching down and ducking his head to catch her eyes. "Rape ain't about sex honey…it's about hurtin' someone just 'cause they can. Don' you dare be ashamed Beth…..don' you dare." He touched her cheek. "I'll help you get through it….however you need."

Beth met his eyes, wanting to believe him. God she wanted to believe him…believe that she wasn't ruined forever. She wanted to…but she didn't yet. She made herself nod. "Is there any more of that jerky?" She finally said after a long silence.

"Yeah…a bit." He patted her knee and stood, going to get it out of his bag. A quick check confirmed that it was dark enough to start the fire. The nights were getting cold now. He got the fire going and went to the bed shaking off the bedding and adding their own blanket to the top. He locked the shutters over the windows and secured the two deadbolts to lock them in for the night. Everything done he sat down and had some peaches too.

"Split the watches?" Beth asked.

"Naw…you need your rest." Daryl shook his head.

"So do you." Beth said, frowning.

Daryl met her eyes and nodded. "All right, I'll wake you for your turn." He said, enjoying the simple meal she'd cobbled together for them. It was warming up in the little cabin, fire crackling away. "Alright, you should get to bed." He said to her.

Beth nodded and stood, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. "Could you lay down with me?" She asked softly.

Daryl nodded. "Sure." He said quietly and did one last check of the door and windows before blowing out the little candle they'd been eating by. He let her get into bed first and then joined her, putting himself between her and the door. He nearly jumped out of his skin when she shifted and curled against his chest but didn't push her away, wrapping an arm round her instead. They were all each other had now. With his other hand he pulled the blanket up around them, his crossbow in easy reach, even with Beth on his chest.

He'd meant to stay awake, but his exhaustion coupled with the warm, soft presence on his chest soon sent him to sleep alongside her. Daryl didn't open his eyes again until a soft glow was seeping from around the wood shutters. He mentally cursed but upon listening he didn't hear anything but the chirping of birds out in the woods around them. Beth was still sleeping, her hand griping his shirt tightly in her fist as if afraid to let go. He didn't have the heart to wake her and so he just laid there, listening to her breath as if it was the most wonderful sound on earth. They'd lost so much but they were still alive, and they had each other. It wasn't much but right now, it meant everything to him.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: I'm glad so many of you have enjoyed the story so far, a special thank you to readers who dropped me a message. You guys are awesome. Please forgive any formatting errors...my laptop is unwell and I was forced to write in notepad *shudders*

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Daryl buried the guts from the rabbits he'd caught that morning to avoid anything being drawn in close by the smell of blood. They'd been here two days all ready and he was glad to see Beth's colour coming back. He judged they could maybe stay another day before they had to move on. It was tempting to stay here, but the herd that had swept through the prison was still too close and the little cabin wouldn't be protection enough if they headed this way.

He carried the cleaned and skinned rabbits inside and started cutting them up to go into the stew that Beth had prepared from vegetables she'd scavenged from the long neglected garden. There were carrots and peas, some potatoes, onion, garlic and even a small squash that had been hiding in a mass of vines. It smelled damn good, he had to admit. Beth a snoozing on the bed, getting what sleep she could before they had to go on the road again. He added the meat into the pot, stirring everything around and then sat down at the table.

In his mind he knew going North was the smart move, wandering around aimlessly looking for people that might or might not be alive wasn't smart but it felt like he was abandoning them. He pulled a crumpled cig out of his pocket and lit it, taking a long drag. If he'd been on his own he'd have gone looking, hunting for anyone that might be left. He wasn't alone though, he had Beth and he couldn't risk her on a maybe. He saw her shift a bit on the bed, a frown marring her face. He heard her mumbling, arms moving now as if trying to keep something away. He stubbed the cigarette out and went over, touching her shoulder. "Beth...wake up." He shook her gently.

"No! She struggled harder and then her eyes snapped open...wild for a minute until she focused on him. "Daryl..." She said, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Hey now, you're ok." Daryl pulled her up and wrapped her in a hug. "I got you." He whispered. The last couple nights had been bad, he just hoped that the nightmares faded with time. "I won't let nothing happen to you."

"You promise?" She whispered, hands holding tight to his shirt, under his vest.

"Yeah, I promise." He whispered back. "You ok now?" he asked after a few minutes, feeling her relax. He wasn't good with crying women, but he knew that he needed to try for her. So far this seemed to be what she needed, just someone to hold onto to remind herself that she wasn't back there in that clearing.

She sniffled and nodded against his chest. "Sorry." She whispered and moved back, wiping her eyes.

"No need ta' be." Daryl said. "Rabbits in the pot, been gettin nice and fat eating away at that garden." He changed the subject, letting her get herself back together again. "I think we can stay one more day and then we should head out." He said.

Beth nodded. "Think we'll be able to find somewhere like this?" She asked him quietly. "Somewhere safe where we can get by?"

"Yeah. I figure we can find an abandoned farm or something like that." Daryl said, thinking it'd be nice for her to have something that reminded her of home, even if it was just a little.

Beth smiled softly. "That'd be nice." She said and slipped a hand into his. "Thank you." She said softly, and before he could say anything she got up and went to check on the stew. It was weird spending this much time with Daryl, but it made her feel safe. At least, as safe as she could be after what had happened. "Why don't you grab some sleep while this cooks? I'll wake you when its ready." Beth looked over, aware he'd been watching her.

"Lock that door and don't go outside." Daryl said but laid back on the bed, not against getting a little shut-eye. After falling asleep beside her that first night he wasn't going to be so careless again. He'd lay on the bed with her because she seemed to sleep better when he did, but he needed to stay awake.

"I won't." Beth said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She wasn't stupid afterall. She went and locked the door and also closed and secured the shutters on the window just to be safe. It was a risk using the stove during the day but they needed a really protein heavy meal before pushing on. She sat down at the table. Physically she was feeling better, it didn't hurt as much when she walked down and the bleeding had stopped too. Mentally...the nightmares had been bad the last few nights. She wrapped her arms around herself and bit her bottom lip. She couldn't shake them, and she hated that Daryl had to keep waking her up from them.

It was always the same, she was in the woods and Daryl didn't come this time. All she could hear was their laughs, then grunts of the one on top of her. She felt ill just remembering it, so she stood and got a drink of water. She'd never been with anyone before, and it made her so...angry that they'd taken that from her too. She'd never have that back...no matter what Daryl said. She stirred the pot, taking a deep breath...it did smell good. The meat was falling off the bone now and when she tried a little piece she nearly moaned. It was so damned good.

"You gonna start without me?" Came a drawl from the bed.

Beth blushed a little. "No. I was just making sure it was done before I woke you." She said, getting a couple of bowls and dishing them up some food. She put the bowls on the table, sitting down as Daryl joined her.

He took a big spoonful and nodded. "Damn sight better than just cooking it over a fire. It's good." He said and gave her a little smile. Having someone to cook for him was a big plus, he never minded eating whatever he could shoot just cooked over a fire but this was real nice.

Beth smiled and just ate hers, glad he liked it. They didn't have any salt, or spices, but it still did taste pretty good. They both had seconds and agreed they'd finish the rest tomorrow. One last day of rest and then they'd start heading North again.

"You doing ok?" Daryl asked as he finished his second bowl of food. He hadn't eaten so well in a while, and it felt good to have a full belly.

She nodded. "Yeah, better than I was. Other than the nightmares." She shrugged a bit.

"They'll ease in time." He said softly. He'd had his share of shitty dreams over the years.

"Do you ever have nightmares?" She asked him, catching her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Yeah...everyone does, people who've lived through bad shit just get them more." He said. "Just remember you're stronger than the bad dreams, stronger than anything that gets thrown at you...and eventually they'll go away." Daryl said, a slightly nicer version of what Merle had said to him after their mom had died. He didn't think Beth would appreciate Merle's 'kick the shit outta anything that comes at ya' style of advice.

Beth nodded, meeting his eyes and believing him. She was strong...she had to be now. "Ok." She said softly. Once they were both done she gathered their bowls and got them cleaned up and set on the side to dry. She covered the pot and moved it to the back so it wouldn't scorch overnight.

Daryl made a quick check around the cabin and then came back in and locked it all down for the night. There'd been a couple walkers. Easy enough to handle but they were coming from the direction of the old prison. He frowned a bit.

"What's wrong?" She asked as he came in, seeing the frown on his face.

"Some walkers, came from the same direction we did. I think we should leave in the morning. Finish off that stew and then hit the road." Daryl looked concerned.

Beth nodded. "I'm good to travel, and we should try and stay ahead of the herd if they really are heading this direction." She said. "I'll make sure the packs are ready to go so we can eat early and then head out."

"Ok, I wish we coulda stayed a bit longer." Daryl admitted. Being here with her, had been nice. It had let him put the loss out of his mind for a few days. Now, with the road ahead...it was back in the front of his mind and he knew it had to be in hers too. "We'll find something." He said quietly.

Beth nodded, feeling the mood in the room change. It was colder somehow, and she repressed a shiver. She got up and started packing the bags, getting the food they could take stashed away and packing their clothes that she'd cleaned and dried into the packs as well. The blankets they could roll up and take in the morning. Without vehicles there was only so much they could physically carry but they'd just have to make do for the time being.

Daryl set the packs by the door once she was done. He double checked the bolts on the window shutters and wedged a chair under the door handle as a secondary precaution. If they were heading out tomorrow he'd need to sleep, since he didn't know how much rest he could safely take out on the road.

Beth slipped into the bed and Daryl joined her, letting her curl up against his chest. He sat his crossbow beside the bed, within reach, and wrapped the blankets around them. He absently stroked her back, listening to her breathing in the dark. Feeling her against him was bringing around some unwelcome thoughts, as badly as he felt for even thinking them. It was hard not too think about it. He hadn't been with a woman since well before the world had gone to shit, and given how things had gone after...it hadn't really been high on his priority list. Now was really not the time to start thinking about it. He was a big boy, he could handle it even as his body had a few suggestions about that too. He mentally grumbled to himself and made himself just go to sleep.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

They'd left at the right time, in the distance Daryl could hear the walkers. He adjusted their course slightly to take them a little north and west. Hopefully if they were quiet enough something else would grab the herd's attention. Beth was moving fairly quietly, better than most did. He could see a break in the trees ahead as the sun started hitting the highest point of the day, and it glinted off metal. Maybe there was a car they could hotwire and get going. It would be a lot better than trying to hike all the way to where he wanted to go.

"A road?" Beth whispered behind him, keeping her voice low.

"Yeah...get your knife out." He said and got his crossbow ready. They moved out of the trees and found a tangled wreak...and then several abandoned cars on either side of it. There was a layer of dead leaves on the cars, suggesting they had been there a long time.

Beth's eyes searched the wreaked cars and she saw a couple walkers still strapped into their seats, stirring as they sensed Beth and Daryl. "Finish them off and then we can search the cars?" She asked.

"Yeah, be careful." He cautioned and drew his bowie knife and started opening car doors and killing the walkers. He looked up from time to time to be sure Beth was ok. The girl's face was set in grim lines but she was efficient. Once all the walkers were dead he checked a couple of the cars and found one that had gas and no obvious damage. He cleaned the leaves off it and then started trying to hotwire it.

Beth was going through the cars and smiled as she popped the one trunk. There was a ton of camping gear. She grabbed the two sleeping bags first, there was a fishing pole and tackle box, and a case of water. She started carrying it over to the car Daryl was working on. It started with a rumble as she got there. "Our ride?"

"Yeah...nice finds." He nodded to the camping gear. "Get it loaded up and I'll fill those gas cans with whatever I can get out of these cars."

Beth nodded and put their packs in the back seat along with the camping gear she'd found. The other cars yielded some clothing, blankets, and a few more cases of water. What food had been there was long spoiled. She got into the passenger seat as Daryl put the gas cans in the trunk and joined her.

"Lets hit the road." he smiled and turned the car away from the wreak and headed them northbound. There was little in the way, other than the odd abandoned car or roadkilled walker. He would have killed for a cigarette, but contented himself with tapping his fingers on the wheel as they drove. He wasn't entirely sure what road they were on but if it was taking them north it was a good place to start.

"I haven't been in a car in so long." Beth said as they drove, leaving walkers along the side of the road. "Not since before we found the prison." She said softly.

"Yeah you never really went out much, 'cept hunting with me." Daryl said. "You know how to drive though, right?" When he thought about he'd never actually seen her drive before.

"Yeah, got my license at 16...in Daddy's old pick-up." She smiled a bit sadly, thinking back to things before the dead had started rising.

"Good, you should take turns now and then...need to keep that skill." Daryl said as they moved down the highway. He saw a road sign and knew where they were...more or less. "There used to be hunting supply store there in Fairplay...we should check it out, see if there's anything left." He said, thinking outloud.

"You need more bolts?" She asked.

"I can make my own...but they don't hold up as well as fiberglass." He said, drumming his steering wheel. "Should find something for you too, guns are too damn noisy and bullets will get hard to find as time goes on."

"Like a crossbow?" She smirked.

"Or a nice compound bow, might be easier for you to draw." He said. "Probably picked over...but it's worth a look." He said and took the turnoff.

"What if we run into people?" Beth asked, chewing on her bottom lip again.

"We'll avoid 'em if we can, otherwise let me talk and just go with it ok?" Daryl said, knowing that after everything that had happened...Beth had every right to be afraid of strangers.

"Ok." She said, eyes drifting to the trees on either side of the road.

"Hopefully there won't be anyone around." He said, seeing signs for the town up ahead. Ideally he'd have wanted to stash the car somewhere and scout the place but he couldn't risk leaving Beth alone. "We'll park the car just outside town, hide it, and then head in on foot." He told her. "The hunting supply is right near the edge of town anyway, so it should be easy to get into." He said and was all ready looking for somewhere to take the car off the road.

Beth nodded, mentally gearing up for the task ahead.

Daryl saw a place to pull off the road, hiding the car behind a thick hedge that had grown wild. Together he and Beth headed into the town on foot. They moved quietly, angling towards the hunting store. The Golden Bow was boarded up, spray paint across the front read 'Dead Inside...Keep out.' Daryl moved forward, grateful when Beth stayed right behind him, not needing to be told to keep close.

He found the back door and rattled it hard and then fell quiet, listening. There was nothing. Maybe the owners had left that note out of desperation to deter looters. He worked the boards off, listening to make sure they weren't drawing attention from any Walkers that might be around but there was nothing. Once the boards were off he took a deep breath tried the handle...surprised when it opened. He opened it wide and started in, crossbow raised. Beth's hand was steading on his back, he knew she had her knife out. It was dark was hell in here but his eyes adjusted quickly. There was a smell of decay...but not a sound. He moved carefully, checking each room, and there in the office he found the source of the smell. A man's body, head blown away and a blanket draped over him. The rest of the store was clear. Once he was sure of it he headed to the front room. All the gun cases were empty, ammo gone too. Untouched though were the good hunting knives, arrows, bolts and more specialty items.

"Come here." Daryl said and pulled down a lighter compound bow. "See if you can draw it." He said.

Beth took it, awkwardly and tried to draw it.

"Naw...like this." Daryl moved in behind her and showed her how to hold it properly. "Draw back like that."

Beth forgot to breath for a moment and then nodded. It was hard...but she could do it. "I think I got it."

Daryl nodded and moved back. "It's a new string so it's going to be stiff as hell...we'll take all the replacements too in case you bust one." He said and grabbed the arrows and all the bolts and shoved them into his pack. "Lets get you a proper knife too." He said and used his blade to crack open the case. "Try and see what fits your hand nice." He nodded her over.

Beth tried a few and finally found one that felt right. She grabbed the sheath for it. "Why would they leave all this behind?" She asked.

"A lot of this is useless if you don't know how to use it, takes skill." He shrugged and grabbed some replacement strings for his crossbow as well. "Probably figured the guns were more useful." He said. "We should go, get back to the car before dark." He touched her arm and together they made the long, careful trip back to the car.

Beth got used to carrying the bow, it was surprisingly light but it would definitely take some getting used to. The car was sitting where they'd left it and they put their loot in the back and then got back in. "What do we want to do for tonight?" She asked.

"Sleep in the car, trade off watches. If we keep low and quiet we should be fine."

She nodded. "Stay here or keep driving for a bit?"

"Lets drive for a bit." He said, starting the car and heading them off down the road again. "We'll start working with you and the bow once we find a spot for the winter, for now just get used to carrying it." He said as they headed back onto the highway.

"It's pretty light...just awkward."

"Yeah, which is why you're going to take it everywhere with you until it's not." Daryl smirked a bit.

Beth snorted and just leaned back against the seat.

It started getting dark and Daryl found a place to pull off. He topped up the gas tank with one of the canisters of gas in case they had to make a quick escape and then got back in, locking the doors. Beth had unrolled the two sleeping bags and unzipped them into blankets. She handed him one and laid her seat back, snuggling under hers.

"I'll wake you about half way through the night." Daryl said. "I'm right here...just sleep." He said softly.

"Nite Daryl." She said softly, going to sleep.

TBC


End file.
